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Purpose: An ankylosed elbow should be released with consideration of the nature of the stiffness and location of the pathologic structures, and care should be taken to avoid damage to the surrounding musculature and neurovascular structures. We report the clinical results of a combined anterior and posterior approach, which allowed safe access with good visibility, for severe elbow stiffness.Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent surgical release for elbow ankylosis from August 2014 to May 2020. All operations were performed by the same surgeon at a single institution. The final outcomes were assessed by measuring the range of motion, calculating the Mayo Elbow Performance Score (MEPS), and reading radiologic images. Results: Eight patients with a mean age of 43 years (range, 21–65 years) were included in the study, and the mean follow-up period was 22 months. The average range of motion was 13° of flexion contracture (range, 0°–40°) and 123° of further flexion (range, 100°–140°) at the last follow-up. The average net improvement in the total arc compared to patients’ preoperative status was 68° (range, –10°–130°). The mean postoperative MEPS was 89 points (range, 70–100 points). The development of heterotopic ossification and recalcitrant rheumatoid arthritis caused relatively poor outcomes.Conclusion: The combined anterior and posterior approach allows safe access with good visibility for elbow ankylosis, while minimizing the risk of neurovascular injury and preserving the medial and lateral muscles.

The purpose of this study aimed to identify the proportion of patients with delayed normalization of C-reactive protein (CRP) and Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) after TKA, to determine postoperative thresholds predictive of prolonged elevation. Further, we aimed to determine if the clinical outcomes of patients with prolonged elevation were inferior to those without prolonged elevation.The records of 211 unilateral and 320 bilateral TKA were reviewed. Patients were divided into the normal and elevation group based on CRP and ESR levels at 6 weeks and 3 months. The temporal pattern of CRP and ESR change in both groups was compared, and thresholds predictive of elevation at 6 weeks and 3 months were identified. Further, the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis (WOMAC) index and Tegner activity scale of both groups at 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years after TKA were compared.The proportion of patients with elevated CRP and ESR at 6 weeks and 3 months was CRP: 24.2%, 10%, ESR: 51.6%, 29.9% in unilateral and CRP: 31.5%, 10.6%, ESR: 58.1%, 42.7% in bilateral TKA. The thresholds for elevation at 6 weeks and 3 months were 9.5 mg/dL, 11.4 mg/dL (CRP at 6 weeks) and 81.5 mm/h, 74.5 mm/h (ESR at 3 months). There was no difference in the WOMAC score and Tegner activity scale between both groups.CRP and ESR are often elevated for a prolonged period even in the absence of infection after TKA. Such cases show distinct temporal patterns, which are predictable, and do not appear to have a significant effect on clinical outcome.

This study aimed to (1) evaluate the preoperative Hb cut-off value for transfusion after unilateral and bilateral staged (1 week apart) TKAs, respectively, and (2) determine whether cause of preoperative anemia can affect transfusion rate after TKA. A total of 951 patients who underwent TKA (unilateral: 605, bilateral staged: 346) from 2016 to 2019 were reviewed retrospectively. Patient demographics, comorbidities, preoperative Hb level, surgery types, and cause of anemia were evaluated as possible risk factors. The cut-off values for preoperative Hb level to reduce transfusion after TKA were evaluated in each surgery type. Preoperative Hb level, surgery type, and cardiac disease were identified as the risk factors for transfusion after TKA, and preoperative Hb levels of 11.8 (AUC 0.88) and 12.8 (AUC 0.76) were the cut-off values for transfusion after unilateral and staged bilateral TKAs, respectively. Although transfusion rate was higher in anemia with iron deficiency (ID) group than anemia without ID group, preoperative Hb level was also lower in anemia with ID group than anemia without ID group. Single use of preoperative Hb level with different cut-offs depending on the surgery types can be useful indicator for preoperative optimization regardless of cause of anemia.

The degree of cartilage degeneration assessed intraoperatively may not be sufficient as a criterion for patellar resurfacing in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). However, single-photon emission tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) is useful for detecting osteoarthritic involvement deeper in the subchondral bone. The purpose of the study was to determine whether SPECT/CT reflected the cartilage lesion underneath the patella in patients with end-stage osteoarthritis (OA) and whether clinical outcomes after TKA without patellar resurfacing differed according to the severity of patellofemoral (PF) OA determined by visual assessment and SPECT/CT findings. This study included 206 knees which underwent TKA. The degree of cartilage degeneration was graded intraoperatively according to the International Cartilage Repair Society grading system. Subjects were classified into low and high uptake groups according to the degree of bone tracer uptake (BTU) on SPECT/CT in the PF joint. The Feller's patella score and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) were assessed preoperatively and postoperative 1 and 2 years. The increased BTU in the PF joint was associated with more severe degenerative cartilage changes underneath the patella (p

Background It has been long debated whether menopause itself is a risk factor for hypertension in peri-menopausal women. We aimed to assess the association between menopause and hypertension, and whether metabolic syndrome (MetS) has an influence on its effect. Methods Data for 1502 women aged 42 to 53 from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES) database were retrospectively analyzed. The KoGES database consists of 10,038 participants, of which 52.6% (5275) were female. Subjects were followed up for 4 years, and compared according to menopausal status. Additionally, 1216 non-hypertensive subjects were separately analyzed to assess whether a change in menopausal status was associated with development of hypertension. Results The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, and MetS for menopausal and non-menopausal subjects at baseline was 24.4% vs. 16.7%, 5.8% vs. 2.9%, and 25.4% vs. 16.6%, respectively (p

Objective: It is observed in a cross-sectional study encompassing general Korean population that prevalence of obesity and metabolic syndrome is high among hypertensive women. Notably, there is a marked increase in the prevalence of obesity in women in their 5th and 6th decades which may correspond to the period of menopause. In fact, obesity might contribute substantially to hypertension in perimenopausal women. We investigated the relationship between hypertension, menopause, and obesity in perimenopausal women in Korea. In addition, we also studied the clinical implication of metabolic syndrome in these subjects. Design and Method: We collected data of 5275 women registered in Ansung-Ansan Cohort, surveyed between April 2005 and November 2006, a 3rd follow-up from the baseline. Of these, 1343 premenopausal and postmenopausal women aged 47.8 ± 5.3 years (mean ± standard deviation) were investigated in this study. Results: The prevalence of hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes was significantly higher in postmenopausal than premenopausal women (24.6% vs. 16.4%, 51.7% vs. 38.9%, and 13.3% vs. 6.5%, respectively). Postmenopausal women were older (47.6 ± 2.4 vs. 45.1 ± 1.9 years [p Conclusions: Postmenopausal women had higher prevalence of hypertension. Even after adjustment for age, BMI, and waist circumference, menopause elevated the risk of hypertension by 30%. This increase might be explained by high prevalence of metabolic syndrome in postmenopausal women.